About

Hi. My name is Wendy, I live in New Zealand, and I make stuff.

I’ve always made stuff, and I come from a family that makes stuff. You could say it’s in my blood. I get a kick out of working out how to take something that previously only existed in the imagination, and bring it into reality. Therefore my philosophy on making is “If you can think of it, I can make it.”

I started costuming in 2006 when I was inspired by the need to dress myself for a trip to Burning Man. I realised that the best way to be dressed exactly as I wanted was to make my own costumes. So I did, because why not? Festival-fabulous costuming taught me a lot because I was working with difficult fabrics – fun fur, chiffon, sequins – and complicated designs, while still having to be practical. Batwings that actually open? No problem! EL wire corset made from bubble wrap? Sure! But make sure it has pockets and is waterproof..

Nowadays I’m doing a variety of costuming, including cosplay, wearable art that incorporates LEDs, and one of my favourite projects, the creation of a family of monsters from the guideline “They need to be really silly!”

I think what sets my work apart is a combination of authentic materials and attention to detail. I love the process of making things and it shows in the end result. I created this site to share the stuff I make with the world.

5 thoughts on “About”

Hello, my name is Jose Barbosa. I’m a journalist and I’m making a video about cosplay for http://pantograph-punch.com/. Cubefrau Cosplay suggested I contact you about the possibily of interviewing you ahead of Armageddon next weekend. If you’re interested feel free to contact me on jfbarbosa@gmail.com for more details. Cheers!

Hello Wendy, first off I just wanted to say that you’re costumes are absolutely gorgeous and am blown away by your craftsmen’s ship. I myself don’t really have the talent to sew, so I was wondering if you took commissions. Sorry for not sending this to your email, I understand this may be an unorthodox message. I’m extremely interested in your work, and am more than willing to pay for the cost of materials needed and your time. If you would like to contact me my email is ambrosiaedey@gmail.com. If not, thank you for your time and consideration. I hope you have a wonderful day and thank you again. 🙂

I’m replying here as I think the response might be useful to others as well.

First, thank you so much for your kind words about my work. They made my day!

Having said that, I have not put myself out there for commissions – not that I’m unwilling to do them, but more that I haven’t found anyone willing to pay what they are worth.

Because I use mainly authentic materials, it can get expensive. For example the Grey Warden costume cost me ~$1400 in materials, and for Cullen I stopped counting at $1500. Then there is my time. The Grey Warden took 120 hours to make, which at minimum wage would be $1680 (NZD), but at a realistic skilled labour rate would be more like $3600. And then, for most people, there would be shipping, since I live on an isolated island at the bottom of the world, thousands of miles from anywhere else*, which means to ship a 10kg costume such as the Grey Warden, would be at least $200.

Add all that up and I’d be asking for something like $4200 for a costume like the Grey Warden or Cullen that contained a lot of armour, maille, or leatherwork. Simpler costumes would be cheaper due to fewer materials/less time to make – and I am quite good at estimating costs.

So if that doesn’t scare you (or any other people interested in commissions) away, then I would be willing to consider taking commissions and am happy to discuss it further. I do work full time at the moment so I’m only doing costuming in my spare time. As the old adage goes, you can have two of the following: cheap, fast, or quality!

I hope this answers your question and once again, thank you for your interest!

* This also affects material costs as I often have to buy things and have them shipped here.